Crossroads Fan Club Team

John Jameson-Davis (aka John Kavyo)

Role: Appreciation Society Creator / Document and Picture Archivist

A Few John Facts: I was born in Bournemouth in 1958 and now live in a Wiltshire village. I nursed cancer patients for years and am now training to be a handwriting analyst/counsellor.

Memories of Crossroads: I watched from Day One with my sisters and vividly remember those fuzzy black and white days with Meg, Kitty and Dick, Carlos and Josephina, Marilyn and Diane, Vince Parker, Amy Turtle, Tish Hope and Miss Tatum.

Meg was my absolute favourite with Kitty and Tish coming second and third. I loved Diane as an older sister.

The most memorable early memory I treasure is when Carlos fell in love with a female ghost 'out the back' behind the motel kitchen. When she lived she had loved a man and something tragic had happened. Her name and his were carved on a tree. Carlos was upset that workmen uprooted the tree, exposing a wartime bomb. This exploded, destroying the kitchen. Meg, Mrs Cornet (a fishwife of a cook) and Diane were in the kitchen at the time. I recall a terrible BOOM and the set blacked out as the credits came screaming on.

The picture at the end showed an unconscious Meg and Diane sprawled out amidst the wreckage of the kitchen with sauce or gravy spilled all around them. In those black and white days it looked like blood. This happened on a Friday so we had to wait a whole weekend to see what happened. On Monday the ever capable Meg dusted herself down and found a dead Mrs Cornet (not shown under the strict IBA regulations) and a very shaken Diane. Meg was worried about her and put her up in one of the chalets for a few nights. One night Diane was all alone in the chalet when she was awoken by the door opening mysteriously. She reached for the phone to call Meg when the phone flew through the air across the chalet. We viewers realised it must be the ghostly woman but Meg sent Diane to the hospital where she was found to be suffering from slight brain damage due to the explosion. She had to take it easy until everyone forgot all about it!

When the motel burnt down and Meg sailed away I was distraught. I took it very seriously and even left my nursing job as I was too upset to work. I had grown up with the motel and Meg had become a strong maternal figure in my life. I truly felt as if my own mother had been ripped out of my life and my childhood home destroyed. It was a strange time. I couldn't bear to watch Crossroads regularly after that. The heart had been ripped out of my motel life.

When it finally limped to an end in 1988 I had mixed feelings: relief and sadness. I hated what Smethurst had done to it. I set up the Noele Gordon and Crossroads Appreciation Society on the day the final episode aired. It was 'dedicated to the memory of Meg and her motel'. Simon Cole joined me and for three years we regularly issued the Crossroads Chronicles.

These monthly newsletters featured full length episodes, written by the fans, taking the storylines from Episode 4510 and onwards. We axed most of the Smethurst characters and brought back the Hunters and Vera and Tish. We reintroduced Meg's sitting-room (our favourite set) and tried to maintain a feeling of nostalgia throughout. We made many Crossroads friends, including Tony Adams, and learnt much about the real Noele Gordon (I'm currently analysing her handwriting and am discovering a very private woman).

The 2001 revamp was a mess. Continuity was a mess. Killing off Jill was ridiculous. The 2003 revamp seemed hideous to start with but I detect echoes of the old days.

Aspects have a 1960's feel to it, especially the Ethan Black storyline. Oona, Rocky and Virginia are classic motel characters and would not be out of place alongside Amy Turtle and Diane and Benny. The tinkly, almost inaudible theme tune is hideous. The original Tony Hatch music was heartrending, haunting and dramatic.

I'm not joking when I tell people that it would bring me out of a coma, it's so invested with emotional memories for me. 'It's time to go now, darling. Goodbye.'

Simon Cole

Role: CAS Researcher / Archivist of items

A Few Simon Facts: I was born in a little place called Stanford-le-hope in 1967, and spent the first 22 years of my life in and around Essex, before Crossroads ended, and I escaped the family home, tempted by the bright lights of Bournemouth, where I have been ever since. After nearly 20 years working in IT in and around London, I gave it all up last year and now run my own travel and real estate business, selling holidays and houses in Florida.

Memories Of Crossroads: I grew up with Crossroads, and my earliest memories must be from around 1973, with some of those great characters; Carney, Mrs Whitten, Avis Tennyson, Jane Smith, Tish and Ted Hope, Vera Downend on her narrowboat, the deranged Rosemary Hunter, etc. I really started to take notice of the show around Meg's wedding, and then the kidnapping and death of Hugh Mortimer. My all time favourite episode was when Rosemary shot David in the office during a party at the motel (a scene we re-created in 1989 at the 25th Anniversary party, held at Stan Stennett's theatre, where the delightful Janet Hargreaves very sportingly sent herself up beautifully!) I began writing my own stories about the motel, featuring all the classic characters, and inventing my own. I spent hours every week writing, when I should have been doing my homework. Sadly most of these stories have long since been lost to the attic.

I hit the terrible teenage years around 1980/81, when the whole world was against me (so I thought!). At my lowest point, I ended up in to hospital, and my whole life was turned upside down, but I was befriended by a big German nurse, who adored Crossroads, and who would make the entire ward stop and watch it at 6:35. I remember finding myself in this ward full of strangers, scared and alone, with a TV playing in the corner, and there were Meg and Jill, talking about Shughie McFee (he had been putting spiders in the trifle or something, I think) In my darkest hour, the one constant in my life on that day was Crossroads - safe and unchanging (well until later in 1981 of course!!) and it saw me through some horrible years.

From 1976 until the end in 1988, I managed never to miss a single episode. When the show began to die, I stuck with it more out of loyalty for a sick friend, than for actual enjoyment, but was really sad when it came off in 1988. Around the time of the last episode I saw John Kavyo (as he was then) on TV-am talking about the show, and the Appreciation Society he had set up, and I was so amazed and inspired by his enthusiasm that I got in contact with him, and soon began writing again for the Crossroads Chronicles. Between us, and with the writing talent of many other contributors, we kept the story alive into the 1990s, met many of the cast, and appeared on countless programmes to promote the show and canvass for it's return.

When work commitments became too much, Peter Kingsman took over the reigns and kept the Society going long enough to see the show's return in 2001. I watched Crossroads 2 until Jill's death, and Adam's descent into crazed murderer, then switched off. I felt betrayed on behalf of all the thousands of fans who came to look on Meg, Jill and Sandy as family. I mean, why bring Jill back just to kill her off? Still, at least it was all a dream, wasn't it?

I admit to rather liking Crossroads 3, but it wasn't given time to develop, and I would have liked at least some references to the old show. I mean, those 1970s flashbacks during the last week would have been perfect. But where was the Motel? Where was Meg Richardson? King's Oak was a tiny village community, and Crossroads was at the hub of it all, surely those kids would have been running around the motel grounds, annoying the staff.

Shame not to at least mention them in passing! We are so pleased to see the Appreciation Society name live on; it has now lived through two revivals on the show, and will hopefully go on long enough to see the next one.

Mike Garrett

Role: CAS Manager / Webmaster / Public Relations

A Few Mike Facts: I was born in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear in 1978 and although I lived in County Durham for 18 years I now live back in the family home of Gateshead. I tend to work in various forms of communication.

Memories Of Crossroads: Well I think above all my first memory has to be the theme tune, which I think is maybe the greatest UK soap theme ever. Programme wise from around 1984 onwards, so looking back now I missed the "golden years" but still enjoyed the series until its demise in 1988. Obviously the storylines from that era that I recall are Diane dying and Jill saying goodbye to Kings Oak and Adam Chance for yet another try at happiness with new man in her life John Maddingham. I also recall the criss-cross closing credits and trying to ‘grab’ them as they moved across the screen!

Luckily I've managed to see some of the better years of the show from when it was at its most popular on DVD (and the fan club videos before that of course) and we have to thank UK Gold for the re-run of 1980s episodes.

Crossroads was always on in our house so it was something that was always there, my gran being a fan of the show from 1964 onwards, and indeed I think Noele Gordon was responsible for many of her frocks. Choosing favourites from the characters is the hard part, but Motel Moustache - Adam Chance, Motel Bitch - Valerie Pollard and Motel Mogul - Meg Mortimer are three of my personal likes. I’ve also grown fond of the utterly bonkers Rosemary Hunter and more recently found Tish Hope wonderful to watch.

I think looking at episodes from 1985 against, say episodes of Coronation Street you can clearly see which show was slick, glamorous and way ahead of all the other UK drama serials for style and look. It was of course always a ground breaking series, something to be very proud of, I'm not bothered about the reputation of wobbles or such as real Crossroads fans know that it was better than that. Crossroads was no worse than any other soap, maybe sometimes even better! Looking at soaps today they said that Crossroads storylines were way out of reality sometimes - how times have changed, the scripts from the motel soap seem tame compared to what is being created now.

Its amazing sometimes to think how popular Noele Gordon still is - over 20 years after her death. She is still an icon of British soap, still fondly remembered for Meg in the series and of course is now a Crossroads legend. Many other soap characters who left say, Coronation Street or Emmerdale in 1981 are long forgotten; even the long staying stars of those other soaps who have since left seem less in the limelight as dear Nolly. I think the fact TV companies still enquire about Miss Gordon all these years on shows she is "Crossroads" and always will be, no matter how hard Carlton might have tried to take the shows name and make a new model; it was never going to over-ride the popularity of the original and Noele Gordon can never be replaced.

Final thought; Crossroads went where other soaps dared not to tread, it may have been laughed at, at the time, but it lead the way and lets remember those firsts; not the fake 'wobbly' facts.

Anne Meredith

Role: Founded the original fan club in 1976

A Few Anne Facts: I was 21 when we started the Birmingham based 'ATV Crossroads Fan Club' in 1976. The club would meet once a month to discuss the previous four weeks worth of episodes. It all began with a letter I wrote to Noele Gordon who after speaking with ATV and Jack Barton approved the club. We never had more than 100 members, we also didn't have any team to go nationwide; so we remained very much small scale and unknown outside of Birmingham. I was so pleased Noele endorsed us, it was a huge honour meeting her some time later.

Memories of Crossroads: I remember the show from around the late 1960s when of course all we had was the black and white television programmes. I do totally remember being so sad about the death of Carlos in the fire, and more upset that his wife - whose name escapes me - suffered a miscarriage because of the shock.

Then the time everyone was sure Meg would die. Her vile and wicked husband Malcolm Ryder was slowly killing her with poison. He was thankfully caught in the end, and Meg lived to fight another battle. I remember Meg singing back in the 1960s and early 1970s too. Don't Sleep In The Subway and Getting To Know You were two of the songs she performed in the serial back then.

Being in Birmingham - 1975 will be the year most of us of a certain age will hold special to our hearts. Nolly and John recording the wedding episode in the city centre. I think this event is what started the Crossroads Fan Club idea, simply because of the turnout of fans. It was very, very clear Crossroads was massive. I was lucky enough to be part of that day, but not near enough to actually see much sadly. I did see the roller going down the street towards the Cathedral, which was fantastic.

1981 was very upsetting for so many. The outrageous sacking of the leading star was dreadful. With Noele gone, we put the club on hold to new members and as a group recalled the previous years with Noele as Meg. We didn't watch or discuss the "life after Meg" Crossroads, as it just wasn't right. I never watched it again.

'New Crossroads' Team

Doug Lambert

Role: New Crossroads Series Features

A Few Doug Facts: Doug is a fan of the new Carlton series of Crossroads, and enjoyed both new series of the soap from 2001 and 2003. When the series was axed by ITV Doug joined the Crossroads 2003 and Beyond fan fiction group, which was started by Norman Hayes. Later Doug and co-writer Nick Beat took over the group and today its a great big site celebrating new Crossroads from 2003 and the fan fiction continues too. Through the DVDs Doug has also experienced the original Crossroads, and has become a fan of the sinfully nutty Rosemary Hunter.

Doug in the past has worked on several magazines, including an award winning student publication. He is also a succesful actor, having appeared in theatre productions from the age of 6, and has also appeared in short films and several music videos. Along with acting Doug enjoys script writing, and has written several of the films/plays he has appeared in. In his spare time, what little he gets, Doug also models.

John Heathbury

Role: Crossroads 2001 Site Owner

A Few Heathbury Facts: Anyone that thinks I'm a latecomer to the world of Crossroads would be mistaken. Although I was only young, I remember watching the Great Fire of King's Oak and thinking how important it was at the time. I come from the West Midlands, and I remember feeling that Crossroads was MY soap - in a way that the Northern Coronation street or Southern EastEnders wasn't. Ask anyone - my dad does a mean impression of Benny! (although doesn't everyone's?)

Even today I am convinced that Adam Chance and David Hunter were the most suave blokes on the telly - ever!

I was over the moon when I heard that Crossroads was set for a revival - and although it didn't prove to be as popular as the original series I think it was a great attempt to carry on the legend. The site, Crossroads 2001 continues to go from strength to strength and I am proud to be the 2001 online representative for CAS.

Other Team Members - past and present